The Next AtwoodCooper Romance
by BigKat3250
Summary: Ryan's brother blows into town, capturing the interest of the youngest Cooper, and it looks like he is here to stay. Did I mention that it isn't Trey?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the O.C.

AN: This takes place during the 4th season, except Marissa is still alive.

Chapter 1

"Hey man, you sure about this? I mean, I know he's your brother and all, but he's probably changed from living up in this place." Matt said while pulling to a stop at the entrance of the driveway.

"Yeah man, I'm sure. And you don't know Ryan. Money wouldn't change him."

Even as I said it, I started thinking maybe Ryan _had_ changed. Maybe he wouldn't let me stay with him and his new family for a couple days. Maybe he doesn't care anymore.

I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. Ryan was my brother, and he said he would always be there for me if I ever needed him.

Well, I needed him now.

"Okay, whatever you say. But if it doesn't work out, you know you can always come crash at my place. My mom wouldn't mind, that's for sure. I think she loves you more than she loves me." Matt said the last part with an injured tone to his voice. I knew he was just playing, but fact is, he was kind of telling the truth. Moms just seemed to love me. It must be my innocent charm and good looks.

"Thanks, I appreciate the offer. I'm kind of hoping I won't have to take you up on it though." I said while getting out of the car.

I turned back around and leaned in through the window to say goodbye. Then he drove away and I started walking up the driveway towards the Cohens' mansion. I mean house.

RMRMRMRMRM

The doorbell rang in the middle of dinner.

"I got it." Seth said while standing from the table. He walked to the front door, wondering who would come knocking during dinner. Usually, it meant drama, but Seth was hoping it would be awhile before the next angst fest.

Seth opened the door to find an unfamiliar person on the other side. It was a guy, about 6'0", with shaggy blond hair, dark blue eyes, and almost the whole left side of his face was covered in a nasty bruise. He was wearing a plain green shirt, grey hoodie, ratty jeans, and a pair of beat up, checkered Vans.

"Is this the Cohen residence?" He asked.

"Yeah," Seth said in a wary voice "what can I do for you?'

"I'm looking for Ryan Atwood."

Seth gave a silent groan. Let the drama begin.

RMRMRMRMRM

The guy who answered the door, who I was thinking was Seth, led me through the house and into the kitchen. I could see Ryan and two adults, presumably Mr. and Mrs. Cohen, sitting around the dinner table talking. They looked over when they heard us walking towards them. Sandy and Kirsten, who I had heard a lot about, had looks of confusion on their faces, but Ryan instantly had a grin on his face. He jumped up from his chair and walked towards me.

"Jesse! Is that really you?" Ryan said while pulling me in for a hug.

"Of course it's me man. Do you have another wickedly handsome brother that I don't know about?" I asked jokingly.

"Well seeing as the last time, I saw you, you were shorter than me and now you're six feet tall, I wasn't sure if I was staring at my kid brother or not."

I could see the Cohens looking on at our exchange with shocked looks on their faces. I was guessing that Ryan hadn't told them about me. What Sandy said next confirmed my thoughts.

"Did I hear you correctly Ryan? This young man is your brother?"

Ryan got a sheepish look on his face. Yep, he didn't tell them about me.

When Ryan remained silent, I spoke up so as to clear the confusion.

"Um, yeah, you heard right. I'm Jesse Atwood. Me and Ryan share the same dad, different moms. So I guess that would make us half-brothers." I concluded. There was a lot more to the story, but I figured they didn't want all the gory details.

"Wow" Seth was the first to speak. "Ryan, man, why didn't you tell us there was another Atwood on the family tree?"

"You guys never asked, and I didn't think it was important to mention him." Ryan replied. I admit, his words hurt a little. I mean, what was I, his dirty little secret? Sure our dad cheated on his mom with my mom, but I always figured that hadn't hurt our relationship. We'd gotten along just fine, never really fighting like most brothers. Ryan had actually taught me a lot about life. He taught me how to fight, how to talk to girls, he even taught me how to drive. I guess you could say that Ryan was always there for me in the way that our dad couldn't be. He always said that he had grown up without much of a male influence in his life and he didn't want the same to happen to me. But that's enough traveling down memory lane. I tuned back into the conversation when I heard Ryan ask me a question.

"Yeah Jesse, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you. But you aren't really someone to just show up out of the blue." Ryan said, and seeing as he doesn't talk much, it was like a speech from a normal person.

"Well, I was kind of hoping that I could talk to you in private, but seeing as this concerns the Cohens too, I guess I'll just tell you right now." I took a deep breath and started the explanation of why I had suddenly shown up to see Ryan and his new family.

"So all this is really Steve's fault."

"Steve?" Seth asked.

"He's my step-dad. See, I was sitting around in my room like I usually do after school. Steve's never there, he's always out getting wasted. I know what time he gets home and I just leave before then."

"Why?" Seth interrupted again.

"Steve and I don't get along to well." Man, was that an understatement, "But see, tonight, he came home early. Guess he ran out of cash to spend on booze. So there I was, just sitting in my room listening to music, when he comes bursting in, so drunk he can barely stand straight. Not so drunk that he couldn't through a nasty punch. Steve's one of those mean drunks.

"After he got done beating the crap out of me-"

"Didn't I ever show you how to fight?" Ryan said in an angry voice. I could tell he was pissed and he probably wanted to go and find Steve and kick his ass. I wouldn't mind helping him.

"Of course, but you've seen Steve. He's huge. And when he's drunk I think he stops feeling pain. It was like the punches I landed barely hurt him. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. After Steve got done using me as a human punching bag, Theo got up and, well, you know Theo, Ryan. Sweetest dog you'll ever meet, but when someone messes with me, it's like he gets all evil. Old Theo went to town on Steve. Tore a big old chunk out of his leg, bit him a couple of times on the arm, scratched up his face a little. I managed to calm him down and Steve got out of my room as fast as he could. But I was worried that he was going to come back in there and kill me and Theo.

"So I threw some stuff in my bag, grabbed my skateboard, and Theo and I hauled ass out of there. I went to my friend Matt's place, and he said I could crash there, but I knew I had to get out of Chino. I'm pretty sure that Steve won't be forgetting about tonight any time soon. Knew for sure that next time he sees me, he's going to do a lot worse than what he did tonight. So I asked Matt to drive me up here, because you are always saying that if I'm ever in trouble and need help that I can come and see you. Well, here I am"

I finished my story with a nervous laugh. I mean, what if Ryan threw me out, said he didn't want to get mixed up in my problems, or the Cohens didn't want another Atwood kid staying with them. I'd heard what had happened with Trey, and they probably weren't to enthusiastic to repeat that little period.

"So I'm guessing you want to stay here." Ryan said. He threw a look at the Cohens, seeing how they would react to this suggestion.

"Just for a few days, then I swear I'll be out of here. I don't want to cause any more problems. I just need a place to stay while Steve cools down." I said, trying to make it sound as appealing as possible. I mean, if it were any other family besides the Cohens, I wouldn't have bothered asking. But seeing how they had taken in Ryan, and compared to him I was freaking Mother Teresa, I figured I might actually have a shot at them letting me stay here.

Sandy was the first to speak, "Seeing as your Ryan's brother, and he's part of the family, how could we turn you away."

"Any brother of Ryan's is a brother of mine." Seth said

Kirsten gave me a sympathetic look, "Of course you can stay. I'll make up the guest room for you." As she said, that she turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" They all turned to look at me. I looked over at Kirsten. I figured she was the one to ask about this. "Um, there's also one more thing I have to ask you." She gave me a look as if to say 'go on'.

"You know how I was telling you about Theo, my dog? Well, he's kind of sitting outside." I took a deep breath before continuing. This was the deal breaker, if they said that Theo couldn't stay, I was leaving too.

"I mean, Theo's my life saver, I couldn't just leave him behind. And I know it's a lot to ask to let a strange dog into your house, but he's a really good dog and he won't be any trouble at all." I said all this with my best puppy dog eyes. No one could resist those eyes.

"What kind of dog is he?" Kirsten asked. I could see her softening to my pleading look.

"Golden retriever."

"I love golden retrievers. You go and get him and I'll find something for him to eat" I was really starting to love this woman.

"Thanks. And, do you have any ice or frozen vegetables?" I know it sounded like a weird question, but I really needed some.

"Why do you need frozen vegetables?" Seth asked while looking at me like I was crazy.

In answer to his question I lifted up my shirt to show them my bruised ribs.

"My ribs are really killing me."

AN: This is really just an edited version of this chapter. I wrote it a few years ago, and now that I'm older, my writing style is different.

It's been awhile since I watched the O.C., so if some things are a little off, forgive me.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C.

AN: Sorry if anyone was actually waiting for this chapter, I guess I like to read more than I like to write. And if you didn't read the disclaimer on the first chapter, this is set in the 4th season, and Marissa is still alive.

Chapter 2

I woke up with no idea where I was. Definitely not my room in Chino, it was way too nice. And then it all came rushing back: my little confrontation with Steve, Matt driving me to Newport, seeing Ryan, and the Cohens agreeing to let me stay with them.

Now that I wasn't lost, I decided to get up and see just how big this house was. As I was getting dressed, I checked to see how much damage Steve had managed to do. Half of my face was covered in bruises and my ribs were pretty messed up. They hurt when I breathed too deeply, so I was going to try and avoid that. Other than that, I was surprisingly unscathed. I guess Steve's aim diminished when he drank, lucky for me.

After dressing in my Iron Man t-shirt (I know, I'm a geek.), basketball shorts, and my trusty Vans, Theo and I ventured downstairs.

RMRMRMRMRM

"Jesse!"

I looked over to see the whole Cohen clan, plus Ryan, eating breakfast in the kitchen.

"Would you like a bagel?" Sandy asked me as I walked over to join them.

"Um, sure." I answered hesitantly. The way he asked me, it was like this was an important question. It seemed my answer satisfied them though, so I took a seat.

"How did you sleep? Was the room okay?" Kirsten asked.

"Oh, it was fine."

The next few minutes were spent in a semi-awkward silence. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"I just want to tell you again how much I appreciate you letting me stay here Mr. and Mrs. Cohen. I don't know what I would have done other wise."

"Like we said, you're practically family. And please, call me Sandy."

"So Jesse…" I looked over at Seth as he spoke, "Are you a big Iron Man fan?" he said while pointing towards my shirt.

"Actually, I've never actually read any of the comic books, but I loved the movie. I'm more of a Batman fan. What about you?" I answered.

"Please, stop now. If I have to listen to you and Seth debate superheroes, I can't be held responsible for my actions." Ryan interrupted before Seth could answer.

I had a feeling I would like it here.

RMRMRMRMRM

We had just finished breakfast when the doorbell rang.

"That's probably Marissa." Ryan said while going to answer the door.

He returned with a pretty, blond girl next to his side a few minutes later. He was probably trying to explain who I was and why I was here before he actually introduced us to each other. From the shocked look on her face, I had a feeling he had done a pretty good summary.

"Marissa, this is my brother Jesse."

I stood to shake her hand, "So this is the famous Marissa."

"You know who I am?" She asked in a puzzled voice.

"Of course. You and Ryan have had quite an, how do I put this, _eventful_ relationship. Ryan's told me all about it." I said with a smile as Ryan sent me a glare.

"Oh really?" Marissa said while giving Ryan a look. A look that I interpreted as: _we are so talking about this later_.

"Look at the time. We should get going, don't want to be late for class." Ryan hurriedly said, trying to get Marissa out of the house before I could tell her just how much he had told me.

"It was nice meeting you." Marissa called back behind her as Ryan rushed her from the house.

"I better hurry before Ryan leaves me in his rush to escape." Seth said while heading towards the door.

"Anyways, Jesse, do you have any plans for today? Anything you need to do?" Kirsten asked after Ryan, Marissa, and Seth had left.

"Not really. I have to call my mom and tell her I'm okay, but other than that, I figured I could just hang out here. I mean, if that's alright with you."

"Of course it is. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. I have a few errands to run today, and Sandy has to work. Ryan and Seth will be home later, so it looks like you have the house to yourself today." She said with a smile.

RMRMRMRMRM

After Kirsten and Sandy had left, I went into the living room.

"Well Theo, looks like it's just you and me."

I decided I should get the call to my mom out of the way. It was best to do it quickly, like pulling of a band-aid.

She answered on the first ring.

"Jesse? Is that you?" She asked in a harried tone. The worry in her voice only intensified my guilt.

"Yeah Mom, it's me. Listen, I just want you to know I'm okay. I'm somewhere safe, and you don't need to worry."

"What do you mean I don't need to worry? Of course I'm going to worry. I come home from work to find Steve on the couch covered in blood. I thought he was dead! You weren't there, and your room was destroyed. I thought you had been kidnapped!"

I rolled my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. Besides her taste in men, she's the best person I know. But she had a tendency to become overdramatic.

"Mom, calm down. I'm alright. Steve and I just had a little, um, disagreement. I thought it would be best if we had some distance from each other. I'll come back when he calms down."

"Oh, honey. I'm sure he didn't mean anything. He's probably already sorry for whatever he did. I'm sure he wants you to come home."

Yeah, he wants me to come home so he could ruin the other side of my face. Tempting, but I'll have to pass.

"Mom." I said, trying to hide my anger. No matter what Steve did, she still defended him. I just didn't understand why she couldn't see what an asshole he is. "I just think it's best if I stay away for awhile. I'll make sure to call so you won't worry. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

I hung up before she could try and convince me to come home again.

I sat down on the couch and thought about my current situation: I was alone in a near stranger's house, and the only people I knew in the whole town had just left. I couldn't leave the house because I knew where nothing was, which meant I was stuck here for at least the next few hours.

Thank god for satellite television.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C.**

**Chapter 3**

For the next few days, the routine was the same. I would stay home while Seth and Ryan went to school, Sandy went to work, and Kirsten ran her numerous errands. Every night we would have dinner together and I would either hang out with Ryan and Seth, or just Seth, depending if Ryan had plans with Marissa.

By the end of the week I was going crazy from being stuck in the house. I figured it was time for me to go home. My mom had been trying to get me back every time I called her, and I thought it was time to listen to her. Besides, the Cohens were probably tired of me constantly hanging around their house and wanted me to leave, but they were too polite to tell me.

I decided to tell them Friday night that I was going back to Chino.

RMRMRMRMRM

We were in the middle of dinner when I told them I was planning to leave.

"So." I started. Everyone stopped eating to look at me. "I think now that a few days have passed, and I'm sure Steve has pretty much forgotten about what happened, I should be okay to go home."

As I looked around the table after my announcement, I was expecting to see relief on their faces that I would be leaving, but instead I saw sadness, which was a bit of a surprise. Besides Ryan, I didn't think any of them would actually miss me. But what Sandy said next definitely proved that they would.

"Jesse, Kirsten and I talked about this quite a bit, and we also discussed it with Seth and Ryan, and we were wondering if you would like to stay. As in live here, with us."

"We know that your life is back in Chino, including your friends and family, but we just don't think it's the best or safest environment for you to live. We understand if you want to leave, but just know, you will always be welcome here." Kirsten added.

"Listen Jesse, I know how you must be feeling," Ryan told me, "but I think it would be really good for you to move here. Kirsten and Sandy are great, and Newport is a good place to live. And I would really love having you around." He ended with a smile.

"I really don't have anything to add, but if you do stay, that would mean I would have someone else to convert to Chrismukkah." Seth said.

I looked at Ryan, "Do I even want to know?"

"No."

"Well, I wasn't expecting this. It's kind of a shock, and I don't know what to say. If you don't mind, I need to think before I answer you."

After saying that, I got up and left the table. I walked to my room and flopped down on the bed. Theo jumped up besides me and laid his head on my stomach.

"What do you think Theo?" I asked him while scratching his ears, "should we stay? Do you like it here?"

His answer was to roll over so I could rub his belly.

"Yeah, thanks for the help buddy."

I guess I would just have to figure this one out on my own.

RMRMRMRMRM

Breakfast the next morning was tense. My guess was that they were waiting for me to tell them my decision about me staying here or not. Being the good person that I am, I decided to give them an answer rather than make them sit in suspense any longer.

"I made up my mind about what I'm going to do."

At my words they looked at me with expressions of hope and apprehension. When I didn't continue immediately, Ryan gave me an expectant look and an impatient "Well?"

"Oh, you wanted me to tell you?" I said, just because I knew it would bug him.

"Jesse!"

"Okay, okay. If I can convince my mom, I want to stay here. But I'm warning you, my mom really wants me to come back home."

"Let us handle your mother." Sandy said.

RMRMRMRMRM

I was standing by the pool with Ryan, waiting for Sandy to finish his phone call to my mom. I was a little nervous. This conversation would basically determine the next two years of my life. At least, that's what I figured, seeing as I'm a junior, I assume I would finish my high school years either here or in Chino. Now I was just waiting to see which one it would be.

Sandy stepped outside with the phone, "Your mother would like to talk to you." He said while handing the phone to me.

I took the phone and tried to keep my voice steady as I said, "Hey Mom."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Those were the first words out of her mouth.

"Yeah Mom, I'm sure. And it's not that you're a bad mom, I just think this would be for the best."

I could hear her trying to hold back her tears, and I wish I could make her feel better, but the only way to do that would be to come home, and that just wasn't an option.

"If this is really what you want, then I won't be the one to stop you. But you have to promise to call." She said in her sternest voice.

"I promise Mom."

We said our good-byes and I hung up. I handed the phone back to Sandy and said, "Looks like you are stuck with me."

RMRMRMRMRM

"So Jesse, now that you plan on living here, I think we should look into getting you registered for school. We can go talk to the headmaster today." Kirsten said while cleaning up the breakfast mess.

"What school would I be going to?"

"Harbor." Seth said with a grimace, "Some of my fondest memories are from that place, especially the ones including the water polo team."

From the way Seth talked about Harbor, I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to go there.

I guess I would find out on Monday if I should fear the school too.

RMRMRMRMRM

It was Sunday night and I was lying in bed, too nervous to sleep. I started school at Harbor tomorrow after being officially enrolled there on Friday.

Thoughts kept rolling through my mind, preventing me from falling asleep.

Am I the only one that hates the first day of school? And I was going to be the 'new kid'.

Tomorrow I would find out if I had made the right choice by staying in Newport.

Hopefully I wouldn't regret it.

**AN: Okay, so Ryan, Seth, and Marissa are at Berkeley, not in high school.**

**Summer will be in this story, but right now she is away at Brown.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: For anyone who was actually waiting for this, sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I just haven't been that inspired to do so lately.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C., and sadly I never will.**

**Chapter 4**

First day of school.

This thought was at the forefront of my mind as I stood in the main office of the colossal building that I was supposed to call my school. Well, that and, _'There is no way I'm going to fit in here'. _

My mind wandered back to the conversation I had, had with Ryan as he drove me to school.

_Flashback:_

_The mansions of Newport flew past my eyes as I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that I would actually be living here. Growing up, I spent most of my time in two bedroom rundown apartments with barely enough room to stand up straight. I was lucky if the water and heat was on for a whole month, which didn't happen often due to my mom's shit job and her continuous parade of even shittier boyfriends. That is, until she settled down with Steve, who, sadly, was the best catch of them all, although that isn't saying much. I was suddenly pulled out of my musings by Ryan._

_"Look," Ryan started as we pulled into the parking lot of Harbor, "I know it's a lot to take in, but it's really not that bad here. I was overwhelmed when I got here too, and I admit that it was tough at first, but after awhile I realized that even though most of the people here can be real assholes, there are also those that are worth getting to know."_

_I just gave him a nod, processing his words. I opened the door, reaching in the back to grab my bag. I closed the door and started walking towards the front doors when I heard Ryan call my name. I looked over my shoulder, throwing him a questioning look._

_"Even if someone really deserves it, try not to get into any fights on your first day. It's not really the kind of impression we want you to make." By "we" I knew he meant himself and the Cohens. For some strange reason, I felt my mood lift as I thought of someone besides my mom caring what happened to me. I didn't let this show though, and just rolled my eyes before turning back around and continuing towards the doors._

"Can I help you?" My thoughts snapped back to the present, and I sent a smile towards the woman behind the desk who had asked me the question.

"Hi. I'm new here, and I was just wondering if you could tell me where Mr. Grable's room is?" I said this in my best kiss ass voice, hoping she would give me the directions and not ask any questions. No such luck.

"Oh, you must be the Cohen's new boy! Well, I've heard all about you. Where is it you moved from again? " I can tell that she's pumping me for information, probably so she can have the privilege of being the first to have all the gossip on the latest drama in Newport. That's something else Ryan told me, to be careful about what I say, because there always seems to be someone watching or listening.

"So, about that class." My smile was becoming forced, and I really just wanted to get out of there. The woman, Mrs. Olsen, according to the name plate on her desk, gave me a some what disappointed look, and proceeded to give me directions to my new math class. I thanked her then hurried down the hall.

I entered the classroom, noticing that I was one of the first students there, which was new for me. Usually, I barely make it to class before the bell rings, wanting to spend as much time talking to my friends as possible, but being new means I don't know a single person here, so I didn't even have that option. I looked around the room, and saw that Harbor was definitely different from my last school. The tables and chairs looked completely out of place for a school, and all of the equipment and books that I saw looked untouched. I took a seat in the back of the room, deciding that it was the spot that would gain me the least attention, and waited for others to join me.

Slowly, students walked into the room, some looking as if they had just woken up and others who were full of life. Strangely, the teacher was yet to show. Ten minutes after I had arrived, the bell rang, signaling the start of class and causing students to dash down the halls, trying in vain to avoid a tardy. There was a low murmur of chatter between the students, and I was thankfully exempt from any inquiring eyes. It was at the point when I was starting to wonder if this class even had a teacher when a short man, dressed in a horrible Hawaiian shirt and tan slacks, strolled into the room, acting as if he wasn't five minutes late to his own class. Immediately, the students stopped talking and sat forward in their seats.

"Good morning my little darlings!" I jumped, the sudden exclamation catching me by surprise. The other students took it in stride, no hesitation in their reply.

"Good morning."

"What up Grable?"

"Hey Grable"

The cheerful greetings were not what I expected. Most of the kids seemed genuinely happy to see him, as he was them, which was a startling contrast to my old teachers. Most of them would rarely acknowledge us, let alone teach. The teachers who ended up at Bueno Vista, my previous school, were the ones that had barely managed to earn a degree, and how they even did that I will never know. Point is, the teachers there could care less about educating young minds, and only put up with us because they needed to do so in order to earn their paycheck. The only reason I was even accepted to Harbor was because my grades had been pretty good, mostly A's and B's, and I had done well on the standardized tests that are given to us every year. If the headmaster had known that all I had done to achieve those grades was show up to class, I don't think he would have been so eager for me to attend his precious school.

"Anyways," Mr. Grable said after he had finished telling us about some bizarre story concerning his cat. I have a feeling I will never be bored in this class. "It's been brought to my attention that we have a new student." He finished his pronouncement with a smile, looking expectantly around the room, trying, I imagined, to find me. I slunk farther down in my seat, but when you are tall, that doesn't do much. Mr. Grable finally spotted me, at which point he shouted, "What are you doing all the way back there Mr. Atwood?"

I watched, as well as felt, everyone in the room turn to look at me. This is the reason I hate being the new kid, because the entire day, people think it is okay to gawk at you. I've never understood what is so interesting about one other person being added to the already numerous amount of people in a school. I mean, there are over six billion people on the earth, what is so special about that particular one? It didn't matter that over the years, I was also one of those people who would stare and wonder who the 'new kid' was, entirely fascinated with the thought that maybe he or she would be interesting, and not just another average teenager like the countless others who populated the halls. All that mattered, at this moment, was that I was the center of some very unwanted attention.

I cleared my suddenly dry throat, and just looked back at Mr. Grable, not bothering to answer his question. Mr. Grable either didn't notice my discomfort, or he simply didn't care, because he continued to question me.

"Students, this is Jesse Atwood. He's joining us from…I'm sorry, where is it you moved from again?" Mr. Grable appeared to have genuinely forgotten. He couldn't have known that telling the others that I was from Chino would automatically set me apart, making it even harder for me to gain friends. I didn't want to answer the question, so I settled for a blank stare, hoping he would get the point that I'm not in the mood for a chat. He didn't.

"Come on now, we won't hurt you. I'm sure that I'm not the only one just dying to know more about you." He gave me another one of his cheesy grins, and I knew that I would have to answer him. I looked around the room of expectant faces, finally settling back on Mr. Grable.

"Chino." There was a beat of silence, and then the room was filled with voices. I blocked them out, not wanting to hear any of their opinions. Because I knew that if I heard one person talking shit about me, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from getting in a fight, and I really wanted to do as Ryan had requested and keep my slate clean, at least for the first day. Thankfully, I was saved from the prying eyes of my fellow classmates when the door opened, and everyone turned to see who the new arrival was.

Through the door walked a girl of average height with long, straight brown hair. She was dressed stylishly, or what I assumed so, because the other girls in the other class were dressed in a similar fashion. Now, I'm a guy, so to say that I didn't check her out would be a lie, and what I saw didn't disappoint. My gaze travelled over her body, first down then back up, before resting on her face. At which point I realized that she had been watching me the whole time. I could feel my face burn, and I quickly turned my eyes down to my desk. After a few seconds, I chanced a look back in her direction. She was talking with Mr. Grable, and I continued to stare as she took her seat a minute or so later, sitting in the row next to mine, but two seats ahead.

"Now that Kaitlin has decided to join us, we can continue on to today's lesson." I pulled my eyes away from the back of her head, focusing on Mr. Grable again. I realized that the girl's appearance had effectively drawn his attention away from me, and I silently thanked her for that. I glanced up at her again, only to see her listening to something that the girl next to her was saying, and catching the quick look that both sent in my direction_. 'She must be telling her who I am. Or more accurately, where I'm from' _

The first girl, supposedly finished with her gossip, turned back in her seat, but the other one, Kaitlin, continued to look at me, almost as if she was trying to solve something, as if I were a puzzle. Finally, after making me feel thoroughly uncomfortable, she turned in her seat. During the class, I could feel her looking in my direction, and each time I felt her eyes upon me, I wanted to look up and demand what she found so damn enthralling about me. I didn't listen to a thing that was said the entire class, something I would surely regret later, but I was too busy trying to ignore the hole I could feel being burned into the top of my head. I was starting to worry about her turning into a stalker, that's how disturbing her constant staring was.

The bell rang after what felt like hours, and everyone hurriedly gathered their things. I was the first one out the door, not wanting to take the chance of being stopped by Kaitlin. After my creepy first encounter with her, I planned to avoid contact with her at all costs. Yet as I walked to my second period, I had a feeling that I would be seeing a lot more of her, no matter if I wanted to or not.

**Hope you liked it, and sorry for such a long period between updates.**

**Review, it's always appreciated.**

**Oh, and Mr. Grable is actually a real teacher that I had last year, and he's as crazy and strange in real life as he is in the story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own The O.C., and I never will**

The rest of the day was a blur, full of new faces and a mountain of work that I knew would never be completed. I spent the majority of my time trying to avoid another embarrassing and awkward moment like this morning. Although I couldn't avoid the standard introduction from the teacher, I tried to remain anonymous, which is harder than it sounds when half your face is covered in fading bruises and you are surrounded by nosy teenagers.

My final class of the day, physics, was spent in a state of eager anticipation. I couldn't wait for the last bell to ring so I could escape to the haven that is the Cohen's house. Now that I'm living there, I guess it's my house too, which just cements the fact that I'm actually living in Newport and attending one of the best schools in the state, if not the country. Now there's something that I never imagined would apply to me.

I glanced up at the clock, a smile making its way onto my face as I saw that there were only five minutes until the end of school. This had possibly been the longest day of my life, and all I wanted to do was go home and crash. The minute hand slowly inched forward, the time seeming to drag now that freedom was so close. My bag was loaded down with the multitude of books that I had acquired in each class, the weight of them causing a dull pain in my shoulders and back, yet this didn't seem to slow me down as the bell finally rang, resulting in a stream of students heading towards the door. I was at the back of the group, the consequences of choosing a set farthest from the door. I eventually made it into hall, immediately being pulled along with the hundreds of others who seemed just as impatient to leave as I was. I pushed my way to the stairs, going down two flights before making it outside a few minutes later. Ryan had said he would be waiting for me when I got out, so I scanned the various cars, searching for him. When I spotted him, I made my way through the crowd, grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the car.

"Wow. Someone's in a hurry." I looked over my shoulder, saw his amused grin, then turned back around and continued to make my way to the car.

"You never told me this place required so much work. My brain is about to explode from all the shit that got jammed into my head today. Not to mention all the people who seem to think it's okay to openly point and talk about me, which is amazingly irritating in case you were wondering." By this point we had reached the car, and I shoved Ryan in the direction of the driver's side while I climbed into the passenger seat. The ride was silent, which is something I love about Ryan. He has no problem with silence. Actually, he seems to prefer it. His lack of conversation could get annoying, but right now, I couldn't think of anything better. Ten minutes later, we pulled into the driveway. I saw an unfamiliar car parked next to us, but simply figured that some one was visiting. My thoughts were confirmed by Ryan.

"Marissa's here." In his usual fashion, he said just enough to convey his point.

We walked into the house, the cool air conditioning a welcome relief from the muggy California air. I heard voices coming from the kitchen and followed Ryan in that direction. We were greeted by Seth and Marissa, and after talking to them for a few minutes, I left to go see Theo. I could hear another voice as I walked up the stairs, but just assumed it was Kirsten, only vaguely remembering that she had said she would be gone for most of the day. As I neared my room, the voice got louder, and I could just make out the words.

"Oh, you are such a good boy. Just the cutest thing ever!" I recognized the tone of voice that was always used by girls when they saw Theo, which is one of the reasons that I love him so much. That dog has gotten me quite a few phone numbers over the years. I was curious to see who was in my room so I slowly pushed open the door. I saw Theo lying on his back with a girl crouching over him, rubbing his belly. She seemed familiar, but she had her back turned towards me. I watched for a few moments as she continued to spoil Theo before deciding to interrupt.

"I hope you like me as much as you like my dog." I didn't mean for the suggestive line to leave my mouth, but flirting is second nature to me, I can't really help it. She jumped, stood up, and turned to face me. At which point I realized that it was the same girl from my first period, the one who wouldn't stop staring at me. I took an involuntary step backwards before I really looked at her. She was short, no more than 5'7", causing me to tower over her. Combine that with the fact that I had no doubt that I could easily overpower her, and my fear seemed silly. Yet it was hard to ignore the fact that a girl that I didn't even know was currently standing in the middle of my room. Ignoring this last thought, I stepped forward into the room once again.

"What are you doing here?" I said this in a hard voice, one that I had perfected from growing up in the streets of Chino. She gave me an amused smirk, like I did nothing to scare her.

"I came here with Marissa. She said she was going to see Ryan and I tagged along, wanting to meet the latest Atwood boy."

"How do you know Marissa?"

"Ryan didn't tell you?" I shook my head, "I'm Marissa's sister, Kaitlin."

It was silent for a moment while I took this in. Kaitlin leaned down and continued to pet Theo, who hadn't even bothered to come to me when I entered the room. Traitor.

"Well, that explains a lot. I was starting to get a little freaked out when you kept looking at me in math class this morning." She looked up with a smile, and I noticed how pretty she was. I hadn't taken the time to really look at her before, too embarrassed from her catching me openly checking her out, and for the rest of the class my only view of her had been the back of her head.

"I admit I was a little curious about you. It's not every day that Ryan's secret half-brother shows up." When you put it that way, I can somewhat understand her furtive glances. I walked over to say hello to Theo, scratching his ears, sending him into doggy heaven. It was quiet for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say. Kaitlin was the one to speak first.

"So are you really going to live with the Cohens?"

"That's what they tell me." I didn't want to discuss my personal life with a girl that I had just met, but I got the impression that Kaitlin was the kind of girl that got what she wanted, so I figured it would be easier to go along with her questions than to fight her.

"Why?" She looked up from Theo's smiling face to focus her attention on me. I glanced up and looked into her grey-blue eyes, before looking back down to Theo.

"I just needed a change, and I figured it would be easier on my mom if she didn't have to worry about me." So it wasn't exactly the truth, but it was part of it. Besides, it's not like I was obligated to tell her my life story. Just because she asked a question didn't mean I had to give her the answer.

"What happened to your face?" Okay, this one would be tricky. I didn't want to tell her that my step-dad had decided to beat the crap out of me while in a drunken rage, but I also didn't want to give her an out right lie. I was saved from answering by Marissa calling Kaitlin's name. I gave her an apologetic smile.

"Guess it's time for you to leave. We'll just have to finish the inquisition later." I said jokingly.

She walked to the door, pausing to look back at me.

"Don't worry, we will. I plan to learn all about you, Jesse Atwood." The last part was said while she was walking down the hall.

I walked to my bed and lay down, Theo joining me seconds later.

Kaitlin Cooper was interesting. She was smart, that much I could tell, and she definitely wasn't bad to look at. I could tell she was used to being in control and getting what she wanted, and that scared me a little because I knew that right now she wanted to know all my dirty little secrets, secrets that I didn't want anybody to know about. I already stood apart from the others at school and it wouldn't help if they all knew about my past.

With these thoughts rolling through my head, I started to drift into sleep, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with me.

**What did you think? **

**Feel free to review, I'm not going to stop you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Just a warning, there is a little bit of swearing this chapter, so I hope you're not offended by that.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own The O.C.**

The rest of the week passed without incident. I settled down into my classes, something that was easy to do after the interest in me had somewhat died down, and life in Newport was becoming more comfortable. I hadn't quite found where I belonged within Harbor, but I didn't feel an urgent need to fit in, content to be a loner until I eventually found the people that I could call my friends. So far the only person that I had, had even a semblance of a conversation with was Kaitlin, and I hadn't spoken to her since I had found her in my room that Monday. It's not that I was avoiding her, to be honest, I wanted to talk to her; it just seemed that we never saw each other outside of first period. I had asked Ryan about her after she had left the house on Monday, but the merciless teasing I received for having an interest in her wasn't worth the meager amount of information that he could give me.

It was on the Friday of my first week of school that I spoke to her for a second time.

I had taken to eating lunch alone, preferring the solitude over being surrounded by people that I didn't know, the iPod blasting music through my headphones a clear indication that I didn't want to be bothered. I was eating lunch on that Friday, ignorant to my surroundings, when my headphones were ripped from my ears, abruptly cutting off The Killers song that was playing. I looked up, curious to see who the person was that was brave enough to mess with me, only to see the coy smile of Tiffany Morgan. Tiffany was considered to be one of the popular girls, the status gained from her position as head cheerleader and the fact that she was dating one of the water polo players. Tiffany, along with a number of other girls, had started to flirt with me after the bruises on my face had healed. Not to brag, but I'm fairly attractive, so girls trying to gain my interest was nothing new, but Tiffany was starting to really irritate me. She had to be the most persistent girl I had ever met, not taking the hints that I wasn't interested in her, or maybe she was simply ignoring them. No matter how many times I subtly tried to tell her that her attempts at seduction were useless, she kept coming on to me, and to make matters worse, I'm pretty sure her boyfriend wanted to kill me for stealing his girlfriend's affections from him. As Tiffany took the seat next to me, I mentally prepared myself for another round of awkward conversation filled with blatantly obvious invitations.

As if to prove my point, Tiffany slid her hand on to my knee, slowly moving it higher as she spoke in a breathy voice.

"Hi Jesse." I quickly grabbed her hand, not in the mood to be publicly groped right now, and let it drop into her lap. I grabbed my sandwich, taking a large bite so I would have an excuse not to make conversation, and merely nodded my head in greeting.

"So what are your plans for the weekend?"

"Just the usual shit." I said with a shrug, not wanting her to know that I actually had nothing going on because it would give her the opportunity to try and convince me to spend time with her this weekend. I know it may sound conceited that I automatically assume she wants to chill with me, but the girl has been trying to get into my pants all week and I didn't want to take the risk of getting trapped into spending more time with her than necessary. A small pout appeared on her face at my lack of interest towards her, but it was quickly replaced with devious smirk as she leaned forward, giving me a ideal view down her top. My eyes glanced down, something that she caught and which caused her smile to widen. What can I say? As much as I detested Tiffany's personality, her body was amazing and a guy would have to be blind to ignore it.

"Like what you see?" I was shocked to see how close Tiffany had gotten to me while I had been distracted by her wily ways. Her legs were intertwined with mine as we both sat sideways in our seats, facing each other, and both of her hands had made their way to my upper thighs and were creeping higher each second. Before I could even make an attempt to extract myself from her hold, I felt someone grab my shoulder and yank me roughly from my chair. I quickly ripped myself from the grip of whoever had grabbed me, spinning around to face none other than Travis, Tiffany's boyfriend. From the look on his face he wasn't too happy about the way Tiffany had been wrapped around me and wanted nothing more than to beat me senseless, his two friends who were standing behind him looking as if they were more than willing to help him. I knew I could handle any of them alone, maybe even two at a time, but I wasn't sure I could take on all three and walk away without any serious damage. I didn't want to fight. My body had just gotten over my previous beating and I didn't want to deal with even more pain, but I also didn't want to disappoint Ryan, not to mention Sandy and Kirsten. I had done my best so far to stay out of trouble, but it looked like it was unavoidable this time, so I shifted my weight and curled my hands into fists, readying myself for the impending fight.

"What the fuck were you doing with my girlfriend?" Travis growled, taking a deliberate step towards me. I gave him a blank stare, being careful to keep all emotion hidden.

"Just talking." I said in a casual voice, but my eyes were tracking his two friends, making sure they didn't try and circle me.

"Bullshit. That was a lot more than talking." I could see Tiffany in my peripheral vision, her eyes bouncing between me and Travis, a smile hovering on the corners of her lips. She probably loved that two guys were fighting over her, something that only caused my mood to go from mild irritation to full-blown anger at her indifference towards the problem she had created.

"It's not my fault Tiffany seems eager to get me into bed. From what I've heard, I'm not the only one either. She's gotten around quite a bit, hasn't she?" My angry words caused a variety of reactions. I heard Tiffany's cry, a mixture of anger and shock, along with the combined gasps and laughs of those who had gathered around us. They also managed to snap the little control that Travis had been holding on to and he launched himself at me, a move that I had anticipated. I stepped to the side and Travis flew past me and slammed into a table, the chairs clattering to the floor. He turned around, intent on flying at me again, when a small body stepped between us. It took me a second to recognize who it was, but when I did, I wondered what in the hell had caused Kaitlin to get in the middle of a fight between to boys twice her size.

She quickly walked over to Travis and spoke a few words to him in a low voice so that only he could hear her. His face filled with anger and he threw me a murderous glare before turning away and pushing his way through the crowd. Everyone was surprised by his actions, including myself. I was staring after his retreating back when I felt a small hand grab mine. I looked down, straight into the eyes of Kaitlin Cooper.

"Come on." She said while tugging on my hand, trying to pull me in the direction of the cafeteria doors. I followed her willingly, still puzzling over what had just happened. We walked out of the building and into the parking lot, only stopping when we had reached her car. She released my hand and motioned for me to go to the other side while she climbed into the driver's seat. When we were both situated inside she turned on the radio, filling the car with music, turning the volume down until it was a low murmur in the background. We sat like that for awhile, listening to the music, before my curiosity forced me to speak.

"What did you say to Travis?" She turned her head to look at me, a smile clearly evident on her face.

"I told him that if he were to fight you, he would get suspended, which would also mean he would get suspended from the water polo team." I gave her a look of disbelief.

"That's it?"

"That's it." She laughed at my still skeptical face. "If you haven't noticed, water polo is very important to the majority of the students." I laughed softly at this, as did Kaitlin, and after that the conversation flowed. We talked for the rest of lunch and for most of the following period, both of us completely oblivious to the bell. The subjects were varied, most of them trivial, but some of them did cause a serious mood to appear. I don't think I've ever talked to someone for as long as I talked to Kaitlin that day. When time finally caught up with us, we rushed to our classes, saying good-bye as we went our separate ways.

The rest of the day was uneventful, nothing special occurring in any of my classes. Yet every time I thought back to my time spent with Kaitlin, I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C.**

I woke up on the following Saturday, ate breakfast, and sat down on the couch to watch the usually array of weekend movies and shows, fully intending to enjoy the first time I had to be lazy since I had started school. It had now been five hours since I had sat down and I hadn't moved since. I flipped through the channels, searching for anything that would hold my attention. My eyes flicked to the clock, the hands indicating that it was two in the afternoon. I heard the front door open and the distant voices of Seth and Ryan floated into the living room, steadily getting louder as they approached my current position on the couch.

"Dude, I don't think you've moved since we left." I sat up and looked over the back of the couch to give them a bored stare.

"I know." I stood up and walked past them to rummage through kitchen for something to eat, hearing their footsteps as they followed me.

"Why don't you get out of the house?" Ryan asked as both he and Seth leaned against the counter.

"That's a great idea Ryan!" My voice was laced with fake enthusiasm. "I'll just go hang out with all my friends and we can do stuff using my imaginary money." I looked over my shoulder as I opened the fridge just in time to receive a glare from Ryan.

"Yeah Ryan, jeez." Seth said, but his comment was ignored by Ryan.

"Maybe you would have more friends if you socialized a little more." I gave Ryan a disbelieving look.

"Sorry if I can't be a social butterfly like you." Ryan's scowl deepened at my words and Seth simply laughed.

"Ryan's about as social as the Lone Ranger. Wait, does that make me Tonto?" Seth now had a puzzled expression on his face.

"I'm not saying you have to be voted most popular, just get a few friends. As for the money thing, the answer is simple: get a job." Now it was my turn to brood, something that seems to run in the family.

"So technically, the Lone Ranger wasn't really alone at all because he had a sidekick." Seth had continued to ramble, but neither I nor Ryan were paying him the slightest bit of attention.

"If you're so full of knowledge, are there any suggestions for where I might find this job?"

"That's not my problem. You'll just have to go look for one like everybody else."

"It's the same for Batman. Everyone always thinks he's a superhero that battles evil in solitude, but he has Robin. Plus Alfred is always there for him, and Commissioner Gordon has his back. Now that I think about it, Batman actually has a lot of help protecting Gotham – "

"Seth!" Ryan and I shouted, both of us finally sick of his unending chatter.

"Does anything that you just said connect with our conversation in any way?" Ryan asked in exasperation.

"Well if you would have let me finish without rudely interrupting me, you would have seen that yes, yes it does." Seth said in a highly offended voice.

"And in what way could it possibly do so?" Ryan asked again, his voice betraying the fact that he was probably used to these kinds of antics coming from Seth. Seth ignored Ryan and turned his attention to me.

"I happen to know that the Bait Shop is hiring. Just to warn you, I set a pretty high standard from when I worked there that will be hard to beat."

"Seth, how does that connect with the Lone Ranger and Bat – "Ryan started, only to be cut off.

"You should really hurry, I'm sure there are others who want that job." I nodded my head in thanks as I walked up the stairs to my room to get ready.

oOo

The Bait Shop was relatively empty considering it was the middle of the afternoon and it didn't open until well into the night. I looked around the dimly lit building until I spotted two people by the back door. I walked over and caught the end of their conversation.

"I don't want to hear any more of your excuses Evan. You're fired and nothing you say will change that." The man talking looked to be in his early twenties. He had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes and was slightly shorter than me and had less muscle on his gangly frame. The other boy was around my age with clean cut features, the kind of guy you expected to see on a yacht acting like a total asshole. At the moment he also looked extremely pissed off.

"You don't understand!" He yelled, taking a step closer to the other man. "My dad said I had to get a job or he's cutting me off, which is the only reason I took this job in the first place."

"And that shows in your work. You're lazy, and when you actually did any work it was sloppy. Did you think you could pull that kind of shit and not get fired?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Sorry if I don't feel any pity for you rich boy, but I think you'll survive without your daddy's money until you can find another job." He started to walk away from his now former employee, his actions a clear dismissal. This didn't seem to sit well with the other boy because he grabbed the man's retreating shoulder, spun him around and punched him. I quickly stepped in before he could do any more damage. I snatched his arm that was cocked back, ready to throw another punch. I twisted it behind his back and slammed him against the nearest wall.

"You know, violence doesn't solve anything." I drawled, not caring that my words were a direct contradiction to my actions.

"Get off me!" He said while struggling to free himself from my hold, something that was easy to fix. I twisted his arm harder and, with a cry of pain, his movements stopped. I looked over to see the man, who I assumed was in charge, wiping away the blood from a split lip. He slowly walked over to us, stopping a few feet away.

"Evan, if you thought that little stunt would get you your job back, you're stupider than I thought you were, and that's saying something." He then turned his attention towards me. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you would get this idiot out of here." I gave him a smirk and then proceeded to push Evan towards the open back door and threw him out, gaining satisfaction as he landed on his ass. He quickly stood up and started brushing himself off with furious movements while glaring at me.

"You're going to regret ever laying a hand on me." He practically spit the words out. "I'm going to make sure you pay for what you did." I rolled my eyes and closed the door in the middle of his tirade.

_'Get in line'_ I thought. I walked back towards the main part of the club, determined to ask about the job that had brought me here in the first place.

"Thanks for the help, even if it wasn't needed." I looked towards the bar and saw the same guy putting a bag of ice against his mouth. I walked over and sat down on one of the stools.

"Yeah, the way you were beating the crap out of him with your face was really starting to work." I said drily. He took on an affronted expression before replying.

"He took me by surprise. I would have whooped his ass after I got over the shock." He seemed to get even more annoyed when I gave him a skeptical look. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I heard you were hiring." He nodded.

"I need to replace the jackass that you just met. You want the job?" I was startled at the offer.

"Don't I have to fill out an application or something?" He just smiled and gave a brief shake of his head.

"Nah, you seem like a cool guy, and I can already tell that you would be a better employee than Evan. Not that it would be hard to do that. Besides, you saved me from getting a beating, how could I not hire you?" I smiled, glad that it had been so easy to get the job.

"So what's your name?" He asked.

"Jesse" He switched the ice pack to his left hand and stuck the other one out for me to shake.

"Nick. I'm the manager." He dropped my hand and reached under the bar, retrieving a piece of paper which he handed to me. "I need you to fill this out. It's just standard paperwork for background and payment information, stuff like that. Bring it back on Monday and we can start talking about what you will actually be doing here and the hours you will work."

After saying good-bye and assuring him that I would be back on Monday I walked back into the bright California sunshine. I had a job, now all I had to do was get some friends. I hadn't put much effort into getting to know the kids at school, and I figured it was about time that I did. If I wasn't careful I would become that weird guy that no one wanted to talk to instead of the scary guy that people were just too afraid of to talk to. Then the only thing that would be missing from my shiny new life would be a girlfriend, but I already had somebody in mind to fill that spot. With this thought my mind turned, as usual, to Kaitlin Cooper. I couldn't seem to get that girl out of my head and I couldn't help but wonder if she was having the same problem with me.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I haven't updated in awhile, but I blame that on the fact that it's summer and I'm a teenager. Everyone knows that combo equals laziness.**

**Disclaimer: Surprisingly, I still don't own **_**The O.C.**_

I had two things I had to do on Monday. One, go to the Bait Shop for my first day of work, and two, make friends. I had a feeling the second one would be the harder of the two. In the time that I had been here, I made zero effort to get to know anyone besides the people I lived with and their friends, the only exception being Kaitlin. I figured it was time to take Ryan's advice and socialize. With this thought in mind, I entered the lunch room and scanned the tables, looking for the least obnoxious people to sit with. Half way across the room I spotted Kaitlin sitting with a group of people and before I could make a conscious decision, my feet were carrying me in her direction. I guess it wouldn't hurt to say hi.

I slid into the empty seat next to her, turning my body to face her, effectively ignoring the rest of the table. I heard the chatter around me quiet and could feel eyes staring at me, most likely because they were in shock that I wasn't sitting alone and brooding like I usually do. I smirked at Kaitlin, amused at the shock on her face, something that she quickly covered up.

"Are you finally going to grace others with your presence?" She matched my smirk with one of her own as she spoke.

"I figured it was time to make friends, even if you do want to keep me all to yourself." Kaitlin rolled her eyes and scoffed at my comment.

"Did you come over here to inflate your ego, or did you actually need something?"

"Just wanted to say hi."

"And now you've done that, so I guess you can go." Although her words were harsh, the glint in her eyes let me know that she wasn't serious, but I figured I would take her advice anyways. I stood up and glanced at the others sitting at the table, all of whom scrambled to look like they hadn't been listening to our every word. I placed my hands on the back of Kaitlin's chair and leaned over her , making it so she had to tilt her had back to see my face.

"I almost forgot. I start work at the Bait Shop tonight. You should stop by." My voice was casual. I didn't want her to know that I wanted here to show up tonight. I had a feeling that Kaitlin Cooper is the kind of girl that likes to be in control, and I didn't want that to be the case when it came to my emotions, or anything to do with me for that matter. At least not until I get to know her better and find out if my feelings are reciprocated.

"I'll see what I can do." Her answer was noncommittal, but I figured that was the most I was going to get out of her. I gave her a nod before turning around and continuing my search for an interesting person in the lunch room of Harbor. My eyes made it to the far corner of the room where two people sat alone. Both were wearing headphones and didn't seem to be acknowledging the other at all. I smiled triumphantly as I walked towards them. I had found my people.

As I got closer I noticed that the two people were a boy and a girl. The girl had short black hair, light blue eyes, and was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. All I could see of the guy was the back of his head, which was covered in bright red hair. I sat across from the guy, leaving a few seats between me and the girl. Both looked up at my unexpected intrusion, each having a different reaction. The guy looked confused and the girl, strangely, looked pissed off. She took her ear buds out and glared at me.

"What do you want?" The girl asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well, I was going to ask if it was okay to eat lunch with you guys, but I'm starting to think that it wasn't the smartest choice." I started to stand up again, but stopped when the guy spoke.

"Wait!" I looked over at him, immediately noticing the freckles that dominated his face. "Sorry about Maggie, she can be a little rude sometimes. I'm Connor." He held his hand out, and I hesitantly reached out to shake it. I looked over at the girl, Maggie, who was staring at Connor as if he were a traitor.

"Are you that nice to everyone, or is it just me?" I directed my question to Maggie, who then turned her glare from Connor to me.

"It's not like I don't have a reason to be suspicious, seeing as the only time the people in this school talk to us is when they want to have a little fun at our expense." Wow, Maggie sounded a little bitter, but I did see where she was coming from. My experiences with some of the kids here hadn't been much fun either.

"No worries, I'm not here to mess with you. I really do just want to eat lunch with you guys." I put on what I hope was a charming smile and, seeing what was written on her shirt, asked, "You ever seen Bright Eyes in concert?" She looked puzzled for a second before I pointed to the band t-shirt that she was wearing. She looked at me in surprise.

"You like Bright Eyes?"

"Of course, the guy is a genius." And that was all it took to break the hostility that Maggie had been showing towards me. The rest of the lunch hour passed in a discussion of our individual music tastes, all of which were similar, and had moved into favorite movies when the bell rang. We gathered our stuff and started walking to class. Turns out Connor was in my next class, something I had failed to notice before today.

Before Maggie left for her own class, I told her and Connor that I started work at the Bait Shop and asked them to come by as I had done with Kaitlin.

"I hope the job works out for you and I'll try to come by." Connor said with a smile, something that never seemed to leave his face.

"You better get us free drinks if we go all the way there for your sorry ass." And with that lovely comment, she turned on her heel and was lost in the crowd of students.

"She's just a ray of sunshine." My sarcasm wasn't lost on Connor who threw me an apologetic smile as we walked to our class.

"I know she seems a little harsh, but that's only because she doesn't know you. Give her time and you'll see that she's really a sweetheart." I wasn't quite buying that hidden beneath Maggie's scowl was a sweet, little girl, but it wouldn't hurt to see if a little time would soften the verbal blows that Maggie was so good at delivering.

oOo

The time between the end of school and when I had to leave for work was spent in my room trying to do my homework. I looked at the clock and saw that it was six o'clock, an hour before Nick wanted me to be at the club. I took a quick shower and threw on a simple black t-shirt and dark jeans, letting my hair dry as it pleased. I grabbed my phone and the keys to Kirsten's car, which she had agreed to let me borrow for the night.

I said bye to Ryan and Marissa as they came in from the pool house and passed Seth at the door just as I was leaving. I took my time going to the club as I enjoyed driving for the first time since I had come to Newport. I would have to save up money for a car of my own, especially if I didn't want to rely on Ryan to get me everywhere. I arrived at the Bait Shop a few minutes before seven, noticing a delivery truck pulling in around the back. The inside of the club was a flurry of activity, everybody doing their part to get everything ready for tonight. I was walking around looking for Nick when I felt a hand grab my arm and drag me in the direction of the back of the club.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up. I told you to be here at six thirty." Nick said, sounding irritated.

"Actually, you said seven." Nicked looked back at me and studied my face as if he was trying to decide if I was lying or not.

"Really?" I nodded. "Huh. My bad. That doesn't matter now. What I need you to focus on right now is the job I hired you to do." I was still confused about what exactly he _had _hired me to do, and I told him so, reminding him that we were supposed to go over everything right now.

"I don't have time to explain all the details, but basically you do the jobs that nobody else wants to do. You clean the bathrooms, sweep up the club at the end of the night. " We had continued to walk to the back door of the club as he talked, only pausing to open the door and step outside, where we had stopped in front of the truck I had seen when I got here. "And unload the trucks." He then opened the truck door, revealing boxes upon boxes of what I assumed were supplies for the club.

"Wait, you want me to unload all of this," I waved my hand towards the truck's cargo, "by myself?" Nick smiled and nodded his head. "That's going to take hours!"

Nick chuckled and patted me on the back. "Guess you better get started. Take them to the store room behind the bar, and try not to break anything."

I continued to stare up at the boxes for a few moments until, with a heavy sigh, I got to work.

oOo

My back and arms ached and I was covered in sweat and grime, but I was finally done. It had taken me close to three hours to move the boxes from the truck into the store room and in that time the club had come alive. I opened the back door and was hit with a wall of sound, the combined voices of hundreds of people drowned out by the music that pounded through out the building. I worked my way towards the bar where I knew Nick was sure to be. I was only a few feet from the bar when I spotted the red hair that could only belong to Connor. I weaved through the crowd, being forced to elbow a few people to get past them, and threw my arms around Connor and Maggie's shoulders, the latter of who didn't look to happy about it.

"You guys came!" Connor and I shared a smile, but when I looked on my other side, Maggie simply frowned and pushed my arm off of her before she took a step away.

"You smell like a pile of dirty clothes." At her words I took a sniff of my shirt, which was in fact a little rank. I looked up as Connor also took a step away from me.

"I have to agree with Maggie on this one, you are kind of gross."

"Sorry, I've been moving boxes for the past three hours. When I took this job I didn't know I would be required to do so much heavy lifting." We continued to talk for a few minutes until I felt a tug on my shirt. I turned around and came face to face with Kaitlin.

"Hey." She had a small smile on her face, one that I found completely adorable. Okay, I have to do something about this; I'm getting way to into this girl.

"Hi. I would give you a hug, but apparently I smell disgusting right now." Kaitlin gave the air a sniff before taking a step back like Maggie and Connor.

"Yeah, I just figured that one out on my own." I heard Maggie clear her throat in a not so subtle way to get my attention.

"Oh. Kaitlin, this is Maggie and Connor." Kaitlin waved to both of them and Connor smiled back while Maggie continued to scowl, something that I was starting to think was permanent. "See, I told you I was going to make friends." We continued to chat aimlessly, trying to determine if all of us could be friends. I decided that I could have ended up with a much worse group of friends than the three I was currently talking to.

"Jesse!" I looked over to see Nick waving his hand at me.

"Duty calls" I sighed wearily.

"Dude, it's your first day. How are you already tired of it?" Connor said with a laugh.

"You just don't understand my pain. Kaitlin, you get it, don't you?" Kaitlin laughed along with Connor.

"I get that you're a baby. You've only been working for a few hours and you're already whining." Maggie joined in too, probably only laughing because I had been insulted. I threw them a disgruntled look before walking to the bar to talk with Nick.

"I'm not paying you to chit chat. Did you finish those boxes?" He said while pouring a drink for the people next to me.

"Yeah, they're all sitting in the store room like you asked."

"Great. Now you can unpack and organize them." I've never come so close to murder than I did in that moment. I gave Nick a tight smile and pushed my way back to the storeroom, closing the door when I got there. The quiet was deafening, the muffled music and voices becoming barely discernable through the door. I looked at the stacks of boxes that I had come to hate and I knew that it would take the rest of the night to unpack and stock them on the proper shelves.

I had just started on the first box when I heard the door open behind me. I turned and was surprised to see Kaitlin closing the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, confused. She walked towards me until we were inches apart. She slid her hands up my chest until they rested on my shoulders and leaned up, her mouth moving dangerously close to mine.

"Something that I've wanted to do for awhile." I felt her breath fan across my face, feeling her words more than hearing them. Then her lips were on mine, demanding yet soft. It took less than a second for me to respond, moving my lips with hers and raising my hand to wrap in her hair. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before Kaitlin pulled away, pushing me gently from her. She looked up at me with that smile that I found so alluring and placed one last gentle kiss on my lips before she turned and left the room, not looking back once.

I stood there, confused as to what had just happened. After a few minutes I shook my head and continued to work, deciding to think about it later. As I methodically unpacked and shelved, I came to the conclusion that this job wasn't completely bad, because it had, in fact, led to the thing that I had obsessively thought about for the past week.


End file.
